Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .223 bullet for deer (yes, I know...)

This has been hashed out repeatedly but for some reason my search function is searching for a way to function...

So...is the standard Hornady 60 gr. spire point "good enough" for smallish mule deer or should I load some Nosler Partitions? For those who have actually shot a deer with a .223, what max range would you recommend?

This is for a friend who has a small statured daughter who is eligible to hunt this year and the only firearm available that fits her is my Vanguard Youth Carbine.

Please don't offer other caliber ideas or anti-.223 rhetoric...sorry for being defensive before it happens!

62 TSX

70gn Speer.

The 55gr Hornady SP has worked great for me on deer out of a .22-250 over the years, so I see no reason why a 60gr SP out of a .223 wouldn't work.

Sierra 65 grain Gameking is a good deer bullet, very accurate.

I'm running 55 gr TSX's out of a 223 Hawkeye at 3225 fps, the Poobah and DeFlave said they will work.

Gunner

I have a 1 in 12 twist...how heavy a bullet will that stabilize?

Believe it or not, we've got tons of folks here in South GA that are killing the mess out of deer and hogs with 75 grain BTHP match bullets made by Hornady. I am dead set against using match bullets on game, but I can't deny what I am seeing...the dang things are working great. They are not loaded hot, which helps with expansion and penetration. Most are handloaded with 24 grains of RL-15 in the 223.

His and hers....


211 yards 53 grain TSX


190 yards 53 grain TSX

cumulative tracking ~3 yards

I'd roll a 53gr TSX. Some of the others won't work in the 1-12" twist, the Ruger (newer models) are twist 1-9"

I've had good luck with the 55gr Barnes TSX.

I'll be trying the 65 SGK and 70 Speer Semi-Spitzer this year. Can't wait to see how they work.

53gr TSX. Sierra bullets are for punching paper or varmints, not deer. No close second place, either. It really is a runaway for the Barnes, especially in a small diameter like 224. Go with the best bullet if one is going to be stretching the paramaters of the cartridge. That being a TSX or TTSX.

I have shot 2 mule deer with silver bear 62 grain sp out of a mini 14 at about 50 yds each one was DRT the other one ran about 30 yds

The 60 gr. Hornady will work out of that combo, I used it a bunch before premium bullets were available. that said I prefer a premium, but the 60 grainer will sure do the job.


For premiums I like the 53 TSX and the 50 gr TTSX...FWIW

Never seen the absolute need for premiums, even in 22 CFs. Walmart special 55 grain soft points have worked very well for me on the occasions I have used them for both deer and antelope, though I don't punch shoulder bones. I've used or seen used the .222, .223 and .22-250 and never had a problem.

I pretty much concur with this. Now about the 60 Horn sp, it'll do well when she does her job well. Pretty much the same with any other slug.

The 55 Horn sp/wc, the 63 Sierra and the 64 PP are all good as well. And if you feel the need to use a Preme by all means do so, but it sure isn't a need.

Best of

Dober

Both my boys killed their first few deer with 64 gr factory Winchester Power Point ammo, and we never had to trail a single animal.

64's are good bullets too.

A year or two ago a friend at work wanted to use my 223 incase his girlfriend would hunt with him. She never got a shot but he killed 5 or 6 with it.

I loaded him up several 53gr tsx loads and about twice that with 50gr vmax's. I told him to let her practise with vmax and kill with the tsx. He couldn't help it and had to try the vmax on deer. I couldn't convince him that the tsx was "better". I would rather have the tsx but he will argue all day by what he expierenced.

I don't agree with him but he did kill a few deer so his opinion is taken more serious than some. I'd still recommend and use the tougher bullet myself from smaller calibers.